Set the World on Fire
by Seito
Summary: Aikawa's Apostle Code didn't just awaken Rika… it unlocked him. "If I wake and she dies," Rika vowed, fire burning bright. "I will burn you all to ashes."


**Writing-Frenzy** asked: Because I want to gush to someone since the fandom is so small, I hope you don't mind if I theorize at you. XD Now, when Rika says something bad will happen if he wakes up, it made me think for a bit, before it hit me. An Apostle is one sent by god, right? But here is the thing; everyone is only someone Close to God, and not the Complete God, thus, Rika would not obey anyone of them. I just, can you imagine the possibilities X3. Thank you very much for your time, I hope you have a good day!

… I'M PRETTY SURE I WASN'T MEANT TO TURN THIS INTO A PLUNNY BUT HAVE A PLUNNY. (You would not believe the amount of headcanons in this. Much thanks to midnightluck for helping to feed this plunny. )

* * *

Yuri knew two things about her big brother growing up. First was he was super cool. Second was he was super weird.

She had learned, at an early age that Rika could answer any questions she had about the world. From why the sky was blue to where does the sun go at night, Rika never failed to answer any of her questions even when their parents faltered. He always took the time to explain it to her, using words that were easy to understand. Her insatiable curiosity as a child had been sated by Rika's knowledge.

As she grew older, she noticed how… well weird that was. It didn't lessen her love for her brother; it was just something strange. Rika always insisted on teaching her. The lessons were odd, randomly scattered, but as she would later find out, geared towards survival. He wouldn't let her go free until she could recite it back to him word for word, until she _understood_.

Rika always treated her to favorite dessert afterwards, so Yuri was easily bribed and more than willing to indulge in her brother's strange insistence that she learn.

When she landed in a strange world of skyscrapers and masks, she had never been more grateful for her big brother's strange habit.

-.-.-.-.

Yu had noticed it a few times when they were children, though it was something he only came to understand much later in life. Rika's eyes as a child were old. Despite his cheery smile, and infectious energy, Rika's eyes reflected a wisdom in them that was not found in a child his age. His _knowledge_. At the time, Yu had merely thought of Rika as a bookworm with excellent memory.

Yu hadn't minded. As he grew older, he was equally well read and having Rika to debate everything from philosophy to how the world worked, was excellent. They chatted via email with essay long conversations, easy banter and teasing woven in between. The distance between them was large, but conversations made up for it.

The only thing Yu regretted in his childhood was the fact that he had to leave Rika behind. He had no control over it, being a child meant his family dictated the move overseas. But he left behind his best friend and even though Rika rarely mentioned it, Yu knew it often upset him.

"I don't want you to go," Rika said with a pout.

Yu sighed, not wanting to see Rika cry on him either. Today was the last day they were going to see each other, before Yu had to board a plane and fly far away from Japan. "I don't want to go either," Yu said. They had met at the park today. Rika kicking his feet as he swung back and forth on the swing.

Rika pouted harder before he came to a stop. He hopped off the swing seat and pulled out a small tablet from his pocket and handed it over to Yu. "Take a look at this, Yu-chan."

Yu blinked, taking it. It was slimmer and sleeker than any model he had seen. He looked down at the screen, seeing the strange code before a bright light blinded him.

He shook his head, handing it back to Rika. "What was that?" he asked, black spots dancing across his vision, his head beginning to pound.

"A promise to meet again," Rika announced proudly. "You better write every day," he added.

Yu huffed. "I already promised that, didn't I?"

As the memory faded from his mind, Yu never realized that he never converted over to smartphones, a lingering reaction to the bright light that always filled his vision whenever he looked at the screen of one.

-.-.-.-.

'Aikawa is a fucking idiot,' Rika thought to himself.

He felt as if he was on fire. Everything was spinning out of control. Aikawa's Apostle Code ran rampant, destroying all of Rika's carefully placed defenses. His head ached, everything alternating between numbness and shocking clarity.

He was starting to _remember_.

That was the worse possible situation. He couldn't remember, not right now. Teeth clenched, Rika tried to keep it together. He felt like Sisyphus. Every little bit of progress he managed to contained, Aikawa's code broke through it as if it was made of glass.

If he woke up now, something terrible was going to happen. Yuri flashed in his memory as Rika drew in a deep breath, trying to hold on tight.

'A fucking idiot. Did he not know? You don't go testing Apostle Code on anyone,' Rika thought. He would never be Aikawa's Apostle. Never. But it didn't mean the Apostle Code wasn't doing its job.

"-is the only way to save my ideology and also keep it active…"

"Stop it," Rika said, hearing Aikawa through the burning fire.

Aikawa reached out to him, but Rika slapped his hand away. "Stop it. Stop it… stop trying to awaken me!" Rika shouted.

 _Fire Ability Decompressed._

Fire burst to life around Rika, matching the fierce burning under his skin, the searing blistering heat. Volleyball Mask grabbed Aikawa, yanking him backwards.

"If I wake and she dies," Rika vowed, fire burning bright. "I will burn you all to _**ashes**_."

-.-.-.-

Sniper darted across the suspension bridge. The threat of hibernation still remained but the sooner they rescued Rika the better. If his mask program was to be believed, he didn't have much time before it came back.

'We're coming Rika!' he thought.

He stepped across the threshold, entering the building, Tanabe right behind him, when his world shifted again.

"Again? No!" Sniper hissed, recognizing the park and the swing set.

"Yu-chan!"

-.-.-.-

So hot. Fire burned, inside and outside. Rika was dimly aware of Aikawa and Volleyball Mask trapped in the room with him, edging as far away as possible from his fire.

He clenched his head, trying to fight off Aikawa's Apostle Code. At this rate, it would be only a matter of time until the code unlocked everything and then Rika wouldn't be able to hold it back.

'We're coming Rika!'

Rika stilled, hearing his name. That was… that was Yu-chan! Rika reached out. He had built a connection between them, he remembered that now.

The fire faded and Rika found himself in a familiar park, near a familiar swing set. He spotted Yu in the distance, briefly wondering if Yu's small size had to do with what he had done when they were children.

"Yu-chan!"

Yu spun around, his eyes going wide. "Rika?!"

Rika stumbled forward, falling down to his knees. "Yu-chan," he said. "You have to leave."

Yu bristled, glaring up at Rika. "We here to save you," he said darkly, challenging Rika to disagree.

"There isn't time to explain," Rika said urgently. The heat was beginning to creep in. "You need to go back to Yuri, and -" a light green haired girl flashed in his mind "- Kuon? Kuon has the railgun right? You need to head to the black building three blocks from here. Climb to the top, and there will be two Guardian Masks and a large metal storage crate. Dispose of the Masks. They're strong; you need a level 3 Railgun to take them out. Then have Kuon destroy the door with the Railgun, level 4. Inside will be a gold mask, make sure Yuri, not Kuon puts it on. It's a God Code-"

"Wait," Yu said, cutting Rika off. "God Code? Rika-"

"No!" Rika shouted. "It can't wait. Aikawa's Apostle Code is running rampant in my brain, Yu-chan. It's unlocking everything. I'm doing everything I can to hold it back, sooner rather than later I won't be able to, and I'll be fully awake. Yuri isn't ready." He hissed, feeling scorched to his bones. Yuri flashed in his mind again, causing him to grit his teeth and push past the pain.

"Yuri isn't ready for what?" Yu asked.

"Me, mines, hers," Rika rambled off. "I am hers. She is my chosen. Right now, if I awaken, Yuri's mind will destroyed because I'm too much." He gripped Yu's shoulder tight. "Yu-chan, if that happens, I will scorch everything into ashes."

"Rika…"

"It's not perfect, but one of the God Codes will be enough," Rika continued. Sweat rolled down his face. Information, information he had forgotten, poured into his head, abilities continued to be decompressed.

Everything _hurt_.

He drew a shaky rattled breath. Burning like an inferno, hotter than lava, bright as a star.

"-ka! Rika!"

Rika hooked another deep gulp of air, desperately trying to keep cool. He was aware of Yu shouting at him.

"Interesting."

Rika lifted his head to see Yu's Mask Program approaching them.

"Go away," Yu snapped.

"Hibernation -"

Rika snapped, remembering the commands. "I order you, halt the hibernation process and snooze until the danger has passed. Rebuttal will be overruled."

Yu's Mask Program halted, coming to a stand still. "This program will obey the order from the _Seraph._ System Warning, only a person who became closer to god can suspend the hibernation process." It faded from view.

"Rika?" Yu asked, eyes wide under his hat. "Why did my program address as _Seraph_?"

Rika wheezed, the heat building even higher. "L-later," he said. "If you have allies in the building, Yu-chan. Get them out of here and go with Yuri to pick up the god code. Hurry, Yu-chan."

Fire engulfed him.

-.-.-.-

Sniper gripped his hat, aware of Tanabe standing with a hand on his shoulder. "Son don't push yourself," Tanabe said. "We don't want to lose you either."

"Tanabe-san," Sniper said. "Please find Ain and Nise and pull them out of the building immediately."

"What?" Tanabe asked, surprised.

"This will sound strange, but Rika delivered a warning," Sniper said. The building rocked, an explosion going off above them. "Find them and get them out of here."

"What are you going to do?" Tanabe asked.

"Rika said Yuri will need to obtain something to help him. I must head back," Sniper said. He didn't like the idea of leaving Tanabe by himself. Unlike Nise and Ain, he was a normal human. But Rika's message sounded desperately urgent.

Tanabe nodded. "Very well. Stay safe."

-.-.-.-

"What's going on?" Yuri said. The building's top levels where her brother was had exploded in an explosion of fire.

 _Wee-Woo_

 _Wee-Woo_

Uzuki furrowed his brows in confusion. "Wait, this sound-"

"Why is this sound here?" Kuon said.

Yuri felt her heart squeeze. This siren. She knew this sound. When a major emergency happens to the nation, in order to alert people to the emergency a big siren goes off. It is commonly known as the Civil Protection Siren!

Something deep within her whispered, 'The game has changed. It's too soon.'

"Mr. Mask is coming back!" Kuon pointed back.

Yuri turned her head. Indeed, running across the rooftops, Sniper was headed back towards them in rapid speed.

"Why is he coming back?" Hayami asked.

"Yuri, Kuon!" Sniper said, jumping up to the rooftop with them.

"What happened?" Yuri asked.

"A message from Rika. You two need to come with me right now," Sniper said. "Tanabe-san will take care of Nise and Ain."

"But what about -" Yuri started.

"There isn't time," Sniper cut her off. "Rika said before you can rescue him, this must be done first."

"Then let's hurry," Kuon said.

Yuri bit her lip. She didn't like the idea of leaving her brother behind, especially when the building he was trapped in was on fire, but she trusted him. "Alright," she said, mouth thinning into a line of gritted determination. "Let's go."

-.-.-.-

Aikawa felt fear and delight grip his heart. He had hoped that Rika would change the status quo, bringing him closer to the end game, closer to God, but this was beyond his imagination. Rika stood in front of him, eyes glowing as fire around him like a majestic cloak. Volleyball Mask was dead, scorched to ashes and devoured by the flames that trapped Aikawa in the room.

He coughed, the smoke making it difficult to breath. "Is this the power of an Apostle?" he asked.

Rika glared at him, flames hissing, growing brighter. "You fucking screwed up," he snarled at Aikawa. "You don't fucking go around using Apostle Codes on anyone!"

"Why not?" Aikawa challenged.

Rika flashed forward, wrapping a hand around Aikawa's throat, lifting him off the ground. "Because I'm not yours! Your Seraph is an absolute idiot to pick you."

" _Seraph_ …?" Aikawa choked out.

Rika staggered back, clutching his head. "Too early, too early!" He took a deep breath and exploded.

The last thing Aikawa saw was a wall of fire headed straight for him.

-.-.-.-

Sniper looked up. At the black building Rika had spoken above was one of the taller skyscrapers. It had been designed that way to ensure that no one just visually saw the crate by accident.

"Kuon," he said, looking back at her. "Can you fire the railgun, Level 3 at the top?"

"Level 3?" Kuon said. "But I can't see up there. What if I miss?"

"There are two Guardian Masks according to Rika. Even if you do, hopefully it will injure them enough. They're strong for Masks," Sniper answered.

"How does nii-san know this?" Yuri asked, eyes wide.

"He didn't explain," Sniper answered.

Kuon pulled out her phone, inputting the coordinates. The railgun whirled into life, firing off a beam that hit building directly on.

"No way," Yuri said.

The building remained untouched. Unlike the other building that Kuon had fired at, it hadn't crumbled into pieces. Its polished black surface still gleamed under the sun.

"What is it made of?" Kuon asked.

"We've at least achieved one objective," Sniper said, pointing.

There in the distance was a falling Angel. The two girls grimace as he hit the ground, spattering in bright red.

"Can you fire another one, Kuon?" Sniper asked.

"No-no," Kuon said. "Not for another ten minutes."

"Save it then," Sniper said. "We need it to blast down the crate at the top." He tightened his grip on his rifle, swiftly crossing the suspension bridge that connected their building with the black one. Yuri and Kuon raced after him.

They made quick work of the stairs, easily climbing to the top. Sniper peered out of the door, seeing the remaining Guardian Mask standing next to the edge of the roof, looking at where their partner had felt.

"Kuon, ready the railgun, level 4 just in case," Sniper said. "If my shot isn't enough to tip them over the edge, we will probably need it. Yuri, aim for the legs. "

Kuon nodded, phone tight in her grip. Yuri crouched to the ground, her own gun leveled at the Angel. With a single heartbeat, both Yuri and Sniper fired. The angel managed to dodge Sniper's first bullet, at the same time staggering into the path for Yuri. Both of them fired once more, the combination being just enough to off balance the Angel, sending him over the edge.

"Fire, Kuon," Sniper said.

"But the Angels are gone?" Kuon said.

Sniper pointed to the large metal crate. "You'll need the railgun to break down that door." He closed the door. If the building could withstand her level three railgun, closing the door should be enough even if they standing so close.

Kuon nodded and pressed the button on her phone. In the distance, the railgun whirled to life again, hitting with an ear shattering crack.

Sniper pushed open the door. "Stay here, Kuon. Yuri, Rika said you need the item inside."

Yuri stepped outside. The metal crate hadn't survive the hit from Kuon's Railgun. Cooling lumps of metal scattered across the rooftop, but the remaining surroundings still remain untouched.

She stepped inside the crate, find a simple cardboard box. Kneeling down, she opened it to find a gold mask. Startled, she turned back to look at Sniper.

"Rika said put it on," Sniper said, head bowed just enough that she couldn't see his eyes beneath the brim of his hat.

"What's so special about this mask?" Yuri asked.

"He said it was a God Code," Sniper said.

Yuri froze. "Is that why you had Kuon stay behind? Because she's also a person who became closer to god and thus a candidate for gathering god codes?"

"Yes. You needed her ability with the railgun to obtain it, but Rika said, you absolutely need to be the one who puts it on," Sniper said.

"How does he know this?" Yuri asked.

"You will have to ask him. He said he would explain later," Sniper said with a huff.

Yuri gulped as she stared at the mask. There was no need not to trust Rika and by extension Sniper's word. She had never seen a mask quite like this before. Taking a deep breath, she put it on and her whole world turned to black.

-.-.-.-

Nise bounced back, dodging another set of attacks from the trio and Kijima when the building shook again. She cast a caution gaze at the door, wondering why a siren was sounding and why the building trembling.

"You don't have time to be distracted," Kijima said. He moved to attacked when the ceiling exploded.

Fire and rubble rained down, killing the idol trio instantly. A figure dropped to the ground, fire spread out behind him like wings, filling the room with an intense heat.

Nise stepped back as the heatblast hit her. So hot! Her eyes widened as she recognized the person. Honjo Rika. This was Yuri's brother? Where did the fire come from?

"How are you here?" Kijima demanded to know.

His protests were immediately silenced, consumed by a bright fire and burnt alive. Nise felt bile build in her throat at the stench of burning flesh.

Rika turned to look at her. Uneasy, Nise raised her knife, ready to defense herself. Something was wrong. She didn't want to fight against Yuri's brother, but she didn't want to leave herself defenseless either.

"Nise Mayuko," Rika said.

Nise froze. There was something wrong with Rika's voice. The voice from the phone call she had heard was there, but it was overlay was the same static electronic that she had heard from her Mask Program. Had Aikawa forced a mask onto Rika? But she didn't see him carrying anyone and every Angel carried theirs.

"Approved for Apostle Level," Rika said.

As if she was struck with a hammer, a deep sharp pain pierced her head. It felt like something was rewiring itself, almost like the time she first put on the mask.

"What did you do?" Nise asked, clutching her head.

That caused Rika to falter. He gripped his own head, pulling at hair and screaming in pain. "Leave!" he sounded, sounding like himself. "Leave now!"

At that exact moment, Tanabe and Ain burst in, carrying another girl with them. "Nise!" Tanabe said. "This way!"

Nise didn't hesitate. Retreat was the best option at this time. She didn't have enough information!

-.-.-.-

Hayami swayed, the toll of interception weighing down on him. Uzuki faithfully updating him on the situation. "I see Tanabe-san, Ain-san and Nise-san coming back!" he reported. He turned. "And it looks like Sniper Mask, Yuri-san, and Kuon-san are headed back as well!"

Within seconds of each other, the two groups reconvene on the rooftop with Uzuki and Hayami.

"What happened?" Nise asked. "Honjo-san's brother was on fire in there. What was that siren?"

"Aikawa did something to Rika," Sniper explained. "Rika sent a message ahead, explaining how to fix it."

He looked over to Yuri who was staring ahead with clenched fist. "Yuri obtained whatever she needed to stop him."

Yuri frowned. "I'm going to need help," she said firmly. "I need to be able to touch nii-san, but right now, he's beginning to lose himself and rampaging."

Kuon frowned. "I guess that means I will have to stay back. I have no other combat abilities other than Railgun."

"Well we found Rikuya's Angel," Nise said. "She'll need someone to watch her."

"Then let's go. Before anything else happens," Tanabe said.

Yuri nodded. She looked at the burning building, knowing that Rika was keeping himself contained in there. "Hang on, nii-san. We're coming."

-.-.-.-

Rika huffed and puffed, feeling ragged and stretched beyond his limits. Everything was burning an intense heat. Sweat rolled down the side of his face, his vision spinning as he clung to his sanity. He tried not to think, didn't want to dwell on the knowledge that sat at his fingertips.

Carefully, he sheltered his connection with Yuri, not wanting anything to spill over. Her mind wouldn't be able to handle it and it would break her. A dark rage lit in his heart, swearing at Aikawa for putting him in this predicament.

His instincts blared at him, causing him to step back. A bullet narrowly missed him and Rika turned around, wondering who he had missed from Aikawa's army.

There was Yu-chan standing there, rifle pointed at him. An old man rushed forward, with a spear. Rika snarled, fire sparking to life. He dodged another bullet from Yu-chan as another masked girl moved to slash him with her sword.

Nise came out of nowhere, pincering him an attack together with the lolita masked girl. He pushed them both off with a heat blast, fire gathering in his fist and he threw it towards the old man and Yu-chan. They scattered.

Nise pushed forward, her speed catching him off guard. Yu-chan's bullets didn't let him retreat backwards as Nise swept at his legs. The lolita girl grabbed one of his arms, the old man grabbing the other when Yuri appeared from behind Nise.

Yuri grabbed Rika's face. "I command you as your chosen, stop this at once!"

Rika felt something click, his connection with Yuri established and verified. The burning under his skin faded. He smiled up at Yuri.

"My chosen," he said.

Then his world turned to black.

-.-.-.-

Rika woke to an unfamiliar ceiling and a comfortable bed. The AC blew, filling the room with blissful cold air. He rested his arm over his eyes, sinking deeper into the bed. It felt so wonderfully cold.

Tentatively, he poked at his brain, evaluating what had changed and what hadn't. He purred in delight to find his connection with Yuri was stable and strong. His most of his memories were locked up again but he retained most of his abilities, just at a much lower level than previously.

"You're awake."

Rika sat up, spotting Yu-chan standing in the doorway. A cigarette hung from Yu-chan's lips, the smoke curling.

"Smoking isn't very cool, Yu-chan," Rika said. To be honest, he was surprised to see Yu-chan smoking. It was, not out of character as it did add a certain 'coolness factor', but Rika remembered Yu-chan saying he would never pick up the habit.

Yu-chan didn't say anything. Rika on the other hand, started putting together his memories. "Oh," Rika said. "You don't really remember the other world well, do you?"

"...No," Yu-chan said. He put the cigarette out in the ashtray, approaching the bed.

Rika frowned, staring up at the smiley happy face that was responsible for taking Yu-chan's memories. All that hard work he had done! If he ever found out who was responsible for making Yu-chan wear a mask, they would burned to crisp.

"Are you Rika? Or someone else," Yu-chan asked.

"Both," Rika immediately responded. He was still Rika, still had all his memories, he merely unlocked even more. Said memories were causing subtle shifts to his personality, but all in all, he still was and still identified as Honjo Rika.

"You know, Yu-chan. If you want to remove your mask and gain back your memories, all you have to do is let Yuri awaken you as an Apostle. You've been approved for Apostle Level since we were kids," Rika said.

Everything went backwards with Yu-chan. He wasn't supposed to have arrived in this world before Yuri did. Nor was he supposed to have gotten a mask either!

"What does that mean?" Yu-chan asked.

Rika didn't get a chance to answer before Yuri burst into the room. She ran, tackling him in a tight hug. "Nii-san!"

Rika settled against her. "Hello Yuri."

She pulled away, placing her hands on her hips and looking entirely fierce. "What is going on?" she demanded. "You promised Sniper that you would explain later. It's later!"

Rika chuckled. "Demanding," he said, reminded of all the times she would demand to know the answer to something when they were kids.

"If you're up to explaining, the others should probably hear it as well," Yu-chan said.

"Yeah. I'll do my best."

-.-.-.-

Rika was led to a dining room. Inside, he recognized the Prophet, Kuon, and Nise sitting at the table.

"It's been a full day since you collapsed," Yuri explained. "In that time we decided to regroup and recover. The others are patrolling the area."

Rika nodded, taking a seat. "I'll start with this. Most of my memories are tied up again when Yuri reestablished our connection. They'll unlock, properly this time, as Yuri collects more God Codes. But I will do my best to answer any questions you have."

"Then what is _Seraph_?" Yu-chan asked.

"That's… a little tricky," Rika said. "There are three God Codes in this realm. The first deals with the Railgun and is the one Yuri picked up. The second deals with the helicopter. The third deals with Seraphs.

"Seraphs are the first Apostles, they are ones who are sent by God to find the next successor. By our nature, Seraphs are the caretakers of the thrones. Our job is primarily guide and protect our Chosen to the path of Complete God. Every person who became closer to God has a Seraph. I am Yuri's, Yuri is my Chosen."

"But," Yuri said, with pursed lips. "You're my brother."

Rika nodded. "I chose to take on a human form and integrate with your family. For all intents and purposes, this body is human and I do continue to identify as Honjo Rika and you are my Honjo Yuri, my little sister. Outside of keeping you safe and ensuring you were prepared for this realm, I had no memories of my status as a Seraph."

"So I have a Seraph too?" Kuon asked.

Rika nodded. "Everyone chooses differently. Your Seraph might have followed you around as a silent protector since you were a baby. Or maybe it wasn't until you arrive in this realm that a Seraph chose you. You aren't given the hints to find the blank mask until you're picked by a Seraph. Usually, you aren't given hints to who your Seraph is until you find at least one God Code."

"But you've always been my brother," Yuri said. "Why… how did you pick me?"

Rika blinked. "You have a high potential when you were born. The integration into your family made them think they had a son for two years prior instead of an only baby girl." He frowned at that, realizing the implications.

"I like it better when I didn't remember that," Rika said sullenly.

Yuri made a wounded sound, agreeing.

"Can you tell us about this realm?" Hayami asked.

Rika shook his head. "Who created this realm, the current God, their identity and how people are selected, that is all locked away." He tilted his head.

"What about Apostle Level?" Nise asked.

"Ah," Rika said, scratching his cheek. "Well, yes that's part of my job. I find more Apostles for Yuri.

"Apostle is… a unique role. It usually for the close followers of the person who became closer to God. The inner circle so to speak. It's a step above from any normal Angel that the person who became closer to God can manipulate, offering an even higher level of abilities."

He lit a tiny flame on the tip of his index finger. "It's usually more along the lines of extra strength, argumenting your physical abilities to superhuman levels, but sometimes a more unnatural abilities do pop up."

"You need at least twelve Apostles to progress to the throne," Rika said. He looked over to Yuri. "The ability to awaken Apostles was given to you by the Faceless Mask. All I can do is approve them for that."

Rika scowled. "That was the mistake Aikawa made. A talented person who became closer to god can awaken Apostles by themselves without their Seraph, but it works best when the bond is close and the Angel is strong. He had a better chance using it on Kijima instead of random people. But a Seraph makes it easier because we can approve for Apostle Level. When a Seraph approves an Apostle, it ensures that they can handle the strain on their brain."

"So you've approved Nise-chan as one of my Apostles?" Yuri asked.

"Yes, and Yu-chan," Rika said.

"What?" Yu-chan asked.

Rika looked sheepish, scratching his cheek. "I was a bit overeager," he said. "But you're such a cool person Yu-chan!"

He was pretty sure Yu-chan was a bright red behind his mask. Silly Yu-chan. It was true though. Yu-chan was an amazing person. Not as amazing as Yuri, but he was strong.

"But, uh, it's still yours and Yuri's choice. I mean if you really wanted to go with Kuon you can. She doesn't even need her Seraph's approval because I've already approve you," Rika said. He cast Yu-chan a puppy dog look.

Yu-chan could go with Kuon, but Rika really, really, really hoped he didn't.

"You are impossible, Rika," Yu-chan said, hand over his mask.

"Now what?" Nise asked.

"Turnabout is fair play," Rika said. "If Kuon wishes it, she can go after the same God Code that Yuri has. The building should have at this point rest itself and she should be able to get the same mask."

Kuon frowned. "I… will think about it."

Rika shrugged. "Other than that, it's a matter of whatever Yuri wants. I recommend finding the rest of the God Codes. This realm won't close until there is a successor."

"But for a peaceful end, I will have to pursue it, won't I?" Yuri said.

"Yes," Rika said. Yuri and Kuon would both bring a peaceful end, but there were others like Aikawa who had different thoughts and ideology. The realm was large and all the players were still assembling. It was going to be a long and difficult battle.

But… Rika smiled to himself. He was confident Yuri could do it.

She had to.

Else, the only other alternative was to set the world on fire.

* * *

Okay, I can explain. So this started when I looked up root of Apostle. Which is _ἀπόστολος_ _apóstolos_ , "one who is sent"; "messenger", "envoy", "ambassador"; "Apostle"

And my brain went immediately to messengers, oh angels! I was going to do like a common Archangel but considered the Great Angel (who is different than anything we've seen and the implication of how strong the Guardian Masks are) I went higher up the hierarchy. As far as the Christian Angel Hierarchy goes, Seraph is the highest.

Seraphs are associated with fire, are the caretakers of the throne, and often sing the praises of God. The caretaker of thrones led me to 'oh what if this is the last God Code method.'

On the flip side, I asked what makes Rika different, what were the odds that Rika, Yu and Yuri would end up in TenShi world given the wide range from where people are pulled from, why Sniper was a stronger Angel in terms of skills and why the hell Rika knew and taught Yuri all these random triva things.

I ended up with not-human!Rika. This is probably going to get jossed next chapter BUT UNTIL THEN.

Please leave a review on your way out.


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